Marty Jackley signs Moms for Liberty pledge tied to what SPLC calls 'extremist group'

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley joined a growing list of Republican leaders in the state who’ve signed onto a pledge with Moms for Liberty, but it's unclear how joining the movement will play into his role in office, if at all.

Moms for Liberty is a conservative political action committee that was recently categorized as an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a classification that the co-founders of the group are “exploring every legal option… to hold the SPLC accountable for,” the Wall Street Journal reported. Jackley signed the pledge on Aug. 24,.

The pledge, which does not mention the SPLC, that he and other Republican elected officials like Gov. Kristi Noem have signed states the following:

“I pledge to honor the fundamental rights of parents including, but not limited to the right to direct the education, medical care, and moral upbringing of their children. I pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government.”

Jackley signed with the title of “father,” not as attorney general, and said he believes in the three pillars spelled out in the pledge of “parental involvement, transparency and opposing governmental overreach.”

“Parental involvement strengthens the education of our children,” Jackley said in a statement. “Transparency, especially when it comes to children and taxpayer monies, is important. I have always opposed government overreach.”

However, Jackley did not answer questions about what he was doing as attorney general to honor parents’ rights to direct the education, medical care and moral upbringing of their children; or, what policies he’s advancing to strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach or secure parental rights “at all levels of government,” as the pledge states.

He also did not answer questions about whether he agreed with some of Moms for Liberty’s platforms on book bans, education on race or its stance on LGBTQ+ issues.

Who else has signed onto this pledge in South Dakota?

Rep. Aaron Aylward (R-Harrisburg), Rep. John Sjaarda (R-Valley Springs), Rep. Jon Hansen (R-Dell Rapids), Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City), Rep. Randy Gross (R-Elkton), Pennington County Commissioner Travis Lasseter and Sen. Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids) also did not answer similar questions about their signatures on the pledge.

Sen. Jessica Castleberry (R-Rapid City) also signed the pledge, but recently resigned from her office after she violated the state constitution for accepting COVID-19 funds for her business.

Noem’s communications staff, Ian Fury and Amelia Joy, also did not respond to Argus Leader emails about the governor’s affiliation with the conservative group. She only tweeted about her signature April 27 when she signed the pledge, and hasn't spoken directly with the Argus Leader about the matter.

Noem tweeted, “Parents should parent their kids, not the government,” and in South Dakota, “We’re building stronger families by protecting parents’ rights.”

Sen. Brent Hoffman (R-Sioux Falls), Sen. Jim Mehlhaff (R-Pierre) and Rep. Mike Weisgram (R-Fort Pierre) were the only other elected officials who responded to the Argus Leader’s questions about their pledge to Moms for Liberty.

Mehlhaff said the pledge’s goals of increasing transparency, defending against government overreach and securing parental rights at all levels of government “may be addressed with future legislation,” but wouldn’t get more specific than that because he said he didn’t have any bills drafted at this time.

The part of the pledge honoring parents’ fundamental rights to direct the education, medical care and moral upbringing of their children means “the judgment of parents when making decisions about their children (who they are ultimately responsible for) should not be replaced by the judgment of others like educators, medical personnel or counselors,” Mehlhaff said.

More: SD Gov. Kristi Noem signs pledge with conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty

Weisgram said when he was asked to sign onto the pledge, he thought it to be a “wholesome endeavor” and thought the local group in Hughes County would “be a resource for their take on pending education-related legislation that would be upcoming during the session.”

He added he knows the local group leader and respects her “even though we didn’t always agree when she was in the Noem administration,” referring to Hughes County Moms for Liberty chapter chair Maggie Seidel, a former senior advisor and policy director for Gov. Kristi Noem.

Mehlhaff said he doesn’t agree with the SPLC’s classification and doesn’t believe they’re a credible organization.

Hoffman said he doesn’t see anything “untoward or extremist” about parents being involved in the education of their own children.

“The mission of Moms for Liberty…to unify, educate and empower parents…is one rightly shared by many citizens, including school boards,” Hoffman said in an email. “That some would hate them for their beliefs makes them little different from every other activist organization in America, and that’s a shame.”

More: Sioux Falls schools, Legislature haven’t bowed to parents’ requests for book bans so far

Jackley noted in his statement that the pledge doesn’t mention the SPLC or its positions.

How did Moms for Liberty start?

The national group started in 2021 with a small group of Florida moms and has grown to more than 100,000 members in chapters across 45 states so far, according to its website.

Across the nation, Moms for Liberty chapters and other local PACs have driven interest in school board races, endorsing and raising money for candidates, many of whom rejected mask mandates in the wake of COVID-19 or opposed race-based education, according to USA Today.

South Dakota's first active group, led by Seidel, started operating in fall 2022. Two other established chapters in the state have appeared since: one in Pennington County and one in Minnehaha County.

More: Former Noem staffer starts South Dakota's first Moms for Liberty chapter in Pierre

The group opposes government overreach, promotes liberty and engages communities and elected leaders on “key issues impacting our families,” according to its website.

In Florida, leaders of the group have presented on ways schools were allegedly corrupting their children with “secret Marxist” beliefs and griped about social-emotional learning that teaches students empathy and emotional processing.

The group’s successes have been seen across the country in schools and libraries that have reviewed and removed books, and in states that have passed laws restricting what schools can teach about race and LGBTQ issues.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota AG Marty Jackley signs onto Moms for Liberty pledge